Pretty Little Liars Season 4B
by AleheatherCanon
Summary: 4B: Ezra's got an ugly secret that would stir Aria's world up, even though she's pushing Jake away. Hanna's going through heartbreak when she realizes she won't see Caleb that often, and turns into a detective. Emily copes with the thought of leaving Paige for college. Spencer's got a dirty drug secret that troubles her relationship with Toby. And to top that... Alison is alive.
1. Chapter 1

Pretty Little Liars Season 4B

Picks up right after 4x13

Chapter 1

The girls were driving back from Ravenswood. Ezra was driving them home. They had just seen Alison, and they were baffled. She was alive. A few of them had a hunch that she was alive, but seeing her alive for real was simply shocking. Aria sat in the passenger seat, since she was Ezra's girlfriend. The other three sat trembling in the back seat, holding on to each other for comfort.

"Girls," Ezra began, as he turned into Rosewood again. "You all seemed in awe when I came to give Aria her cell phone. If I may ask, what was happening? Did you see someone?" He was biting his lip, as if he was hoping they would say someone in particular's name.

"It was just a long day, Mr. Fitz," Spencer said, scratching her head. Of course she wouldn't tell him that it was Alison. He was a mandated reporter from their school. "It was nothing, I promise." He let out a bitter chuckle.

"Nothing, huh?" he questioned in disbelief. "That didn't look like nothing. You girls always say it's nothing, but it's obviously something." He shook his head and sighed. "Who am I kidding? You're not going to tell me. By the way, call me Ezra, please. I don't like being called Mr. Fitz outside of the classroom."

"But, you're our teacher," Emily mumbled quietly. "We shouldn't be calling you Ezra... at all."

He ignored what Emily said, and kept driving. He pulled over when he reached the Fields' house. Emily got out of the car, mumbling out a quiet "thank you" before rushing into her house. She didn't know if she would be getting any sleep that night. Ezra continued driving, until he reached Hanna's house.

"Uh... how do you know where we live?" Spencer suddenly questioned, tapping her fingers together curiously. It was just odd that he knew at the top of his head. He swallowed hard. He turned back to look at Spencer, but he didn't say anything. Hanna wanted an answer as well, and so did Aria.

"It's nothing," he mocked. "Hanna, you should be going." The blonde nodded her head, and opened the car door. She got out and speed walked into her house. Knowing that Ezra, her English teacher, knew where she lived, she was even more scared. She trusted him at least a little, since he was Aria's boyfriend.

Irritated with Spencer, he said, "Spencer, I think you can walk from here. You don't live too far from Hanna. I need to have a word with Aria, so, have a nice night, Miss Hastings." She felt a little outraged, but was grateful that she got a ride to Rosewood, at least. She exited the car, and trudged back to her home. She checked her phone, and realized she had a few missed calls from Toby. When she got home, she called him back, and they had a fluffy conversation about missing each other. It was a good break for her, and she felt less stressed that night.

Ezra started driving the car towards the Montgomery home.

"What do you want to say to me, Ezra?" Aria asked curiously, touching his hand, while he tried to focus on driving. He turned his head, and placed a gentle kiss on her hand, and then turned back so he could focus on the road.

"Come on, Aria, won't you tell me what happened in Ravenswood that made you all so distraught?" Ezra asked, sighing. "I can tell when something is wrong, and with you four, there's always something wrong. You girls have this look on your faces. Is there someone that you saw before I got there? Just tell me, Aria. I won't tell anyone."

"Ezra, what happened in Ravenswood is between my friends and I," Aria told him, sighing. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

"How can you sit there and tell me that there's something I'm not supposed to know?" Ezra asked, frustrated. "This isn't fair. I've tried to be there for you as much as possible, yet you don't trust me. You can tell me, Aria. I won't tell your friends that you told me. It could be our secret."

She sighed. Of course she wanted to tell him. As they pulled up near her house, she thought about it. But she knew she couldn't tell him, since A would hurt him if she did. She turned to face her boyfriend, and cupped his cheeks gently. She caressed his cheek, trying to make up for the fact that she was keeping a secret from him, and he knew she was.

"I'm sorry, Ezra, I made a promise to my friends that we won't tell anyone," she told him, with a soft sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips before rushing out of the car. He fell back against his seat, frustrated that he didn't get to know who it was.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He had a call to make. Quickly, he dialed a number on his cell phone. He pressed the phone to his ear with a sigh, as he waited for the person to pick up. He glared into the sky, so damn frustrated. The person, unfortunately for him, didn't answer. He groaned as he knew he had to leave a message.

"Hey," he said into the phone. "It's me. I tried asking, but she wouldn't tell me if it was Alison. I'm sorry. Call me back as soon as you get this, and we can talk about it. Thanks." He ended the voicemail and shoved his phone into his pocket. He drove back to his apartment through the dark.


	2. Chapter 2

Pretty Little Liars Season 4B

Chapter 2

The next day was rough. They all had to get out of their beds and go to school, knowing that Alison was somewhere out there. It would be hard to focus in class due to their minds being drifted to thoughts about Alison, and that was especially critical to Spencer, because if she wanted to get into uPenn, she would have to step her game up. She got a rejection letter for early admission, and if she didn't recompose herself, she wouldn't be getting into uPenn any time soon.

_Spencer_

After brushing her teeth and getting dressed and ready, she headed downstairs. She grabbed some coffee from the machine in her kitchen, and poured it into a cup. She sipped her dark coffee slowly as she glanced at the clock on her cell phone. It was getting late. She finished up her drink, and rushed to her car. When she arrived, she found her friends at the front of the school.

"Hey," she greeted quietly. "Are you guys feeling ok after what happened last night?"

They all were planning on nodding, but there was no reason to lie. None of them were feeling good after the chaos that took place the prior night. Knowing the dark secret that Alison was alive was haunting all of them. They didn't even know what they should have been feeling anymore.

"From Alison to Ezra, everyth—" Hanna began, but was cut off by a glare from Aria. The blonde squinted her eyes and said, "What?"

"You know what! Hanna, he's my _boyfriend_, not a maniac," Aria said, folding her arms. "This is about Alison, not him. When did this become about him? I'm not going to stand here and let you accuse him. You guys also thought my dad was involved with Ali, but he's clearly not. Sometimes, you need to be reasonable!"

"And we_ are_, Aria," Hanna said, sighing. "I know you love him, and you don't want to hear any bad news associated with him, but let's not be biased. Think about it... wasn't it at least a slight bit creepy that he knows where each and every one of us lives? Spencer asked a good question last night."

"I'm not going to believe that Ezra has anything to do with Alison, not even for one minute!" Aria yelled. "It's called trust. And my relationship with him has that."

Hanna decided not to argue with her. Fighting with her wasn't what they needed. They needed to stick together if they wanted to figure out anything about what was happening with Alison.

"So," Emily began, changing the subject, "how are we supposed to feel about this? I mean... Are we supposed to be happy that Alison's back? Or pissed that she's playing this game with us?"

"What we need to do is disregard our feelings for her," Spencer said, folding her arms. "I know she was our friend, but that's not the point. It's not about our joy or sadness that she's back, it's about figuring out what the hell happened. What the hell had been happening to us? The truth is what we should be worried about... not our feelings about her coming back."

"She's right," Hanna said, nodding. "But I'm angry. I'm tired of Alison playing with us like this is some twisted board game. Because of her, we're suffering. We're paying for her mistakes!" The blonde crossed her arms. "You know what? I'm going to go call Caleb." She stormed away.

They were all expecting Emily to say something, but she didn't. Her eyes were focused somewhere else... A truck. A tan truck. Both of the other girls turned around to see what Emily was so focused on. And Spencer smiled. Seeing their brunette friend smile made the rest of them smile. Spence returned away from her friends and approached the young man, who was exiting his truck and proceeding towards her. It was Toby.

Aria and Emily smiled at each other, knowing to give their friend some privacy with her boyfriend. The two girls walked off together, leaving the couple alone.

"Hey," Spencer joyfully greeted.

"Hey," he greeted back.

"Hold me right now before I die," Spencer joked, and he laughed quietly. It was her first genuine smile since what happened in Ravenswood. He held his arms out and pulled her in for a hug. He could smell the scent of her shampooed hair. He loved it. He loved her. "I missed you so much," she continued.

He laughed as their hug ended. "It was only a week."

"No," she said, sighing as she gazed up into his eyes. "It felt more like two." He grinned at her. She went onto her tip toes and placed a short and gentle kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and cherished the fact that he got to see her again. "Did you find any answers about your mom?"

"Some," he answered, thinking about his mother. "But, not enough..." He rubbed her back as he tried to embrace her again. She placed butterfly kisses against his cheek and jawbone, looping her arms around him while she was at it. He was tensing up at the subject of his mother, but Spencer knew just how to calm him down. He smiled at her efforts. "So, what's been going on while I was gone?" Toby asked.

"Well, we've just been trying to find out more about what happened to Alison," Spencer said, not wanting to reveal the big thing that they knew. "Hey, weren't you only supposed to fly in tomorrow? I don't get why you're back so early, even though I love it that you're here with me."

He chuckled and explained, "I grabbed an earlier flight as soon as I saw that one was available. I had to see you as soon as I could, and I wanted to surprise you."

"Consider me surprised," Spencer said, and placed another short kiss on his lips.

* * *

Hanna sighed as she stabbed her meat loaf with a fork. It's not like the cafeteria food was usually appetizing, but she wasn't even hungry that day. She didn't even want her cake, which she usually loved to eat. She looked up at her friends. They all looked like they felt like dying, too. It wasn't just her, and that felt assuring to know. Spencer was the only one who wasn't at their lunch table yet.

"Why does it feel like everything has changed just because of that one night in Ravenswood?" Hanna asked. "I mean, we were guessing that Alison is alive, and now that we know that she really is, it's become like a life changing shocker or something, and I want to know why."

"Because things _have_ changed," Emily said, pushing her own tray away from herself. "I wish they hadn't, but they did. There's so much we don't know, and our lives are not going to be the same again." Her chocolate eyes stared at the floor. "Alison's alive... So why am I not jumping for joy?"

"It's been two years since she left, Emily," Hanna told her. "This isn't some game anymore. This isn't some thing where she can just pop back into our lives, and we all cheer because we have our best friend back. It's different now. _She_ is the reason that we have been suffering for years! She doesn't get to come back here and act like a saint. Dead or alive, she's caused us so much pain, and I don't think she even understands what she's doing to us."

"Hanna, don't get carried away," Aria warned, squeezing her blonde friend's hand. "Spencer's right, we shouldn't be letting our emotions get in the way of our search for answers. But I agree. After all she's done to us, I don't think she deserves to come back here and act like a saint. She's done a lot of bad things in her life, and I would say everyone makes mistakes, but she's made so many, and all those mistakes have been intentional."

Ezra came strolling by their lunch table. He leaned over, and grabbed Aria's hand.

"Miss Montgomery, may I speak with you in my classroom?" he asked, squeezing her hand gently.

"Um, sure, I guess, Mr. Fitz," Aria said. "Excuse me, guys. I'm sure this won't take long." Her friends nodded their heads. The short girl followed her teacher slash boyfriend into his classroom. He locked the door and sat behind his desk. Aria stood in front of his desk.

"So... what's going on, Ezra?" she asked. "I don't think now is really the time for us to be kissing and all, so if you just brought me in here so we could be alone, I think I should go back. We can't risk getting caught. It's back to our forbidden relationship, and you know that both of our lives would be ruined if anyone caught u—"

He stopped her little speech halfway and said, "Aria, I'm not here to be alone with you. Well, I need to be alone with you, but not for kissing. You need to tell me what happened in Ravenswood. Your friends and you yourself have been acting like there was something big that happened, so tell me what. Who is it that you're running from?"

"I... I can't talk about this," she said, sighing. "Please, I can't. Just let me go back to my friends." She began to leave, but he grabbed her hand.

"You need to tell me right now, Aria," he said sternly. "You know that this relationship will not work if you keep secrets from me."

"It's not like you haven't kept secrets from _me_, Ezra!" Aria yelled. "For every secret I've kept from you, I bet you've kept a thousand more. So stop hounding me down. Do I not have any privacy? I give you your space, so you need to give me mine." He sighed and stood up.

"Come on, you know that I would tell you anything," he said, staring at the floor. "You know I would..."

When he looked up, Aria was gone.

* * *

It was finally passing period. For once, the girls wanted lunch to end. Emily rushed to her girlfriend's locker as soon as the bell rang. She looped her arms around Paige's waist and kissed her cheek from behind.

"Hey there!" Emily exclaimed, standing in front of her now. "I haven't seen you all day. Where have you been?"

"Around," Paige responded, biting her lip.

"Paige..." Emily started, and cupped her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"_Nothing_, Emily!" Paige yelled, which startled her girlfriend. "God, can't you just give me some privacy? There's nothing wrong, but I don't need you questioning me like I'm being interrogated by the police!" Emily just stood there, surprised by everything her girlfriend was saying.

"Okay. Fine, Paige," Emily said, crossing her arms. "You want me to give you some space? I'll give you some space." The dark haired girl stormed away, leaving Paige to fall against her locker sadly.

Paige didn't even know what she was doing anymore.

* * *

After school, Hanna walked up to Emily.

"Hey Em," the blonde said. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm just a little down," the swimmer responded, sighing. "I went to talk to Paige during passing period, and she totally bitched out on me. All I did was ask her what's wrong, and she yelled at me and told me to give her space! I was just trying to be a good girlfriend!"

Hanna put her arm around her best friend.

"Trust me, you're not the only one with a failed romance at the moment," Hanna said, chuckling. "At least you can fix the problem with Paige any time you want. Caleb and I got into an argument over the phone last night, and he hung up on me. Now I can't fix it, because he won't answer my calls. It sucks. I wish I could see him and fix it."

"Maybe sending Caleb to Ravenswood wasn't the best idea," Emily told her. "You're only making your relationship with him harder for yourself. As if it wasn't hard enough with A parading around and messing with your relationship... Now you have to have a long distance relationship, too. Why did you make him go?"

"He needed to, and I let him. I love him, and that's all that matters," Hanna said, trying to assure herself that it would be okay. "He needed to help this girl named Miranda. She seemed like she could use a guide, and I knew that Caleb's the kind of man that can protect her. He never failed to protect me." She grinned to herself as she thought about all the great things Caleb did for her.

* * *

"And what was the date?"

"1786."

"No Spence, it's 1776, but you were close."

The brunette groaned and got up from the couch.

"Tobes, this is getting way out of my hand!" she cried. "I have big exams on Monday, and this studying is just hurting my head. I wish there was a way to make it easier. Is there anything that can just make this easier?" She sighed and leaned against her boyfriend's chest.

"Hey, it's Friday night, Spence," Toby said, caressing her cheek gently. "You don't have to fret out about studying tonight. You have the whole weekend. Why don't you relax tonight, and study tomorrow? You deserve a break. Plus, it's my first day back, and I want to spend it with you in a better way than helping you study." He chuckled and kissed her lips gently.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm sorry," Spencer said, sighing. "I'm forcing you to help me study American history, when we should be having a little more fun." She giggled and looped her arms around his neck. She leaned closer and pressed her lips against this. "How much fun is that?"

"It's very, very, fun," he responded, and closed the distance again. Pulling back, he asked, "So, what anti-educational thing should we do tonight?"

"Movies are always against education," Spencer said, pushing herself up so she could sit on his lap. "How about some cheesy romance movie?"

"How about an action movie?" he laughed.

"Fine, just this once," she said, touching his nose with her finger. "Next time, it's romance."

"Fine." He said, and kissed her cheek.

* * *

After Toby had gone home, Spencer had something important to do. After her recent mishap with studying, the question stayed in her head: _Is there anything that could_ _make studying easier?_ She was determined to find out the answer to that question. She grabbed her laptop and went to Google.

_How to make studying easier_


	3. Chapter 3

Pretty Little Liars Season 4B

Chapter 3

* * *

_Study drugs are used to increase stamina while studying or cramming for exams, which is why it is popular amongst high school students, when they're cramming for their exams. Unfortunately, these pills are only available through prescription, and are not specifically meant for students trying to cram. Their official purpose is to help those with ADHD and mental disorders concentrate, but many students illegally gain a hold of this drug and use them for cramming. If a student were to want to legally get a hold of these pills, they would have to set up an appointment with their doctor and get a prescription. While it can be successful for studying there are side ef—_

She shut her laptop and let out a harsh breath. She knew she couldn't illegally gain a hold of these pills. They weren't even meant for students! Although it was tempting to be filled with stamina while studying, she couldn't do it. She didn't even know_ how_ she would get a hold of them. She could always ask her parents to get a doctor's appointment for her, but she knew there was no way without earning handfuls of criticism about her brain's inability to study properly without a drug.

So, she brushed the thought out of her head, temporarily. She had more important things to care for, such as her amazing boyfriend, Alison being alive, and her three paranoid best friends.

* * *

Picking his cell phone up from his coffee table, Ezra scrolled through his recent contacts until he found the number he had been calling the night he drove the girls home from Ravenswood. He called the number back, and pressed the cell phone against his ear gently while it rang.

"Hey, I tried asking Aria again today, but it was no use," Ezra said, letting out a sigh of frustration. "I know you're probably disappointed, but there are no worries. Look, it was obviously Alison that was there. There would be no other reason for the girls to be so shady about the person's identity. I can guarantee that it was her."

The person on the other end calmed down when Ezra said that.

"Ezra," the other person said firmly, "we cannot make any assumptions."

"I know, but who else would it be?" Ezra asked. "If we are going to be logical, I would say that it was Alison. And, they were on some wild goose chase that night, fearing her. Besides, we all know that Alison went running when she saw me. It makes sense why there was no one there when I showed up. We're so close to her..." He laughed darkly and added, "I can almost taste the fear..."

* * *

"Emmy, I'm going to head back to work," Pam Fields said as she walked downstairs. "I'm so glad that the police station gave me my job back." The mother kissed her daughter's head as she opened the front door of their motel room. "I love you, honey. Call me if you need anything."

The swimmer nodded her head as her mother left the motel. She grabbed a book from their bookshelf. She thought that a good book could help her forget about all the rapid drama in her life. She opened _Great Expectations_ to where she left off. Her eyes were glued to the page, but her mind wasn't processing anything. She was too distracted.

"Emily," a soft, feminine voice said her name so gently. She could recognize that voice from anywhere. She knew it all too well. It was so familiar.

"Ali?"

The blue eyed blonde looked up at her former friend. She quietly walked towards the couch of the hotel room.

"H-how did you know I was staying here?" Emily asked, her body trembling. In Ravenswood, she had seen Alison, but not in so much detail. Every part of the gorgeous blonde was so clear... so vivid... Her eyes looked so fearful, and it hurt the poor swimmer to see her first love like that. She wanted to reach up and give Alison a hug, but she knew her friends didn't want her to get attached. She didn't want to be attached after everything Alison put them through, and she didn't think she was going to still feel so attracted to her, but she couldn't help it. Seeing Alison again made the spark reappear.

"Oh honey, you know that I know almost everything," Alison said, the sass in her voice more real than ever.

"But you don't know who you're afraid of."

Alison laughed bitterly as she said, "Sweetie, that's only because there's so many people I _should_ be afraid of. Back when I was 'alive', I made chaos happen, and you don't even know the beginning of it. I pissed too many people off, and now I don't know which one of the people I pissed off is really after me."

"You can come back," Emily whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. "Everything's changed so much since you left... and I want you to come back."

"Oh Em, you know you've always been my favorite," Alison said, cupping her cheeks. "But I told you, I can't come back. I want to, but I can't. Not until I know who's after me... It's not safe. And Spencer, Aria, and Hanna probably wouldn't want me to come back. You have a sweet heart... that's why you want me to come back. You're special, and you're forgiving."

"They would want you to come back, I know they would," Emily said. "They would just need some time to warm up to the idea."

"And I need some time to figure out who I'm really afraid of," Alison whispered, leaning closer to her. "Until then, I can only see you like this. I don't want to see the other girls, I want to see you, Em."

Her chocolate eyes melted as she gazed into Ali's big, blue eyes. Her heart was thumping as Alison's thumb brushed against her cheek. She blinked slowly, and before she could open her eyes again, the blonde pressed her lips against Emily's. The dark haired girl held the couch as she tried to focus. She was kissing Alison DiLaurentis, and that time, it was for real. It wasn't for Ali's practice. After all, who would Ali be practicing for? Everyone in town thought she was dead except four girls, and possibly a stalker.

"Ali," Emily whispered as their kiss came to a bittersweet end, "I have a girlfriend."

The blonde laughed bitterly.

"Who? Pigskin?" she nearly snorted.

"Ali," Emily said firmly, "her name isn't Pigskin, it's Paige, and I think you should respect her a little more. I love her."

"Don't you love me?" Ali asked, raising an eyebrow. "I could always tell you loved me, but what changed? You know I love you."

"I can't love you," Emily whispered, shaking her head. "You're perfect, and I... I used to... but it's been too long. It's been way too long for me to still want you. I've moved on, and I've found hope in Paige, and that's who I want to be with. I've moved on, and so should you."

The blonde rubbed her eyes.

"Have you slept?" Emily asked.

"I've been barely sleeping since the day I so-called died," Alison snorted, flipping her hair slightly. "I'm exhausted, Em, but I can't sleep when I'm cowering in fear that some inconsiderate asshole is going to find me."

_Well, it was also inconsiderate to leave your best friends thinking you were dead for two whole freaking years, but whatever,_ Emily thought.

"I'll take care of you," Emily said, stroking the girl's blonde hair. "You can stay here until my mom gets back from work."

"You know damn well that your idea is a terrible one," she said bitterly. "I don't mean to be a bitch, but you know it is. How can you not remember that A is watching over your shoulder? A is using you all to get to me. But I have said too much. I'm going to find some place secluded to crash. Be safe, sweetie."

"Wait, please, tell me more about A!" Emily pleaded, but Alison started to climb out the window.

* * *

Paige pulled her car up in the parking lot of the motel. She climbed out of her car, holding the bouquet of flowers in her hand. She started to walk up the stairs, when she swore she saw Alison DiLaurentis's unmistakable back side. Her hair flowed the same, her legs moved the same. The person leaving the motel seemed so much like her, but how could it be? Alison DiLaurentis was supposed to be dead.

She knew she had to focus, though. She came to the motel to make a sweet apology to her girlfriend, who she totally bitched on at school the day before. She knocked slowly at Emily's motel room door, thinking about what she saw. Alison DiLaurentis... Was she crazy? Hallucinating?

"Paige..." Emily said slowly. "Hey."

"Hey Em," she said, staring at the floor. "I feel horrible for the way I treated you at school, and I wanted to make it up to you." She pulled the bouquet from behind her back. "I'm sorry," she said, as she handed her girlfriend the flowers.

"Oh my gosh, these are lovely!" Emily exclaimed, and embraced her girlfriend in a quick hug. "Thank you! You didn't have to do that for me, sweetie."

"But I had to," she said, sighing. "I treated you like crap when you did nothing wrong to me."

She suddenly felt super guilty for kissing Alison.

"You don't even have to worry about it," Emily said, biting her lip. "You know what? We can forget the whole mishap! We are going to pretend like it never even happened. Now, thank you for the flowers, Paige." She kissed her cheek and hugged her again. "Why don't you come inside?"

"Great, thanks," Paige said, grinning, happy that her apology was accepted. "Hey Em..."

"Yeah, Paige?"

"I... I think I saw Alison... and I think I saw her alive."

* * *

"Thank you _so_ much for taking me out tonight," Spencer said, squeezing her boyfriend's hand. "This is all so nice. I feel bad... you work so hard for your money. Why don't you let me pay for dinner?"

He laughed and said, "I don't mean to crumble your feminist ways, but that will not be happening, Spence. I'm paying for dinner. It's my treat. Besides, what else am I gonna do with all this money that I make? You spoiled me with a truck that I still would have been saving up for if it wasn't for you."

She chuckled and placed a kiss on his lips.

"Mmm, you know that I love the taste of your lipgloss, but we should get to our reservation," he said, squeezing her shoulders. "Once we're inside, you can give me all the lipgloss you want." She laughed and took his hand again.

"Cavanaugh, reservation for two."

The young man at the front of the restaurant nodded his head.

"Yes, but I'm sorry, sir, the restaurant must be packed with slow eaters, because all our tables are full at the moment," he said. "Your eating time is going to be pushed over. I'll call you as soon as one table is opened up. I am truly sorry, sir."

"Oh, it's fine," Toby said, nodding his head. "I'm sure she could use some time shopping around." Spencer and the young man both laughed.

"If you don't mind, I'm actually going to go shop around," Spencer said, smiling softly. "You want to come with me, sweetie?"

"You go have fun, Spence. I have to wait for our reservation," Toby said, and kissed her lips. "Go ahead, I'll call you when it's time."

* * *

Aria glanced at her phone. It was 7:29. In one minute, he was supposed to be with her. Before the clock struck 7:30, the young man was there. He shot her a warm smile as he sat down across from her at the Apple Rose Grille.

"Hey there," he said, still smiling sweetly. "What's up, Aria? You said it was important."

"It is, Jake," she said, nodding her head. "Why don't we order first?"

He nodded his head as the waiter came up to them.

"Hi, I'll have a caesar salad," Aria ordered. "Oh, and can I get a coffee with that? Extra sugar, please."

"Yeah, and I'll just have a cup of coffee," Jake said. "Thanks."

"Alright, I'll be back in just a moment," the waiter said, and walked off.

In a moment, as the waiter said, there was food on their table. Aria began to poke at her Caesar salad, while Jake simply sipped his coffee.

"Now you're worrying me," Jake said, sighing. "Aria, what's going on?"

"Jake..." she began slowly. "I think we need to break up."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, I kinda saw that one coming. Is it for someone else, or...?"

She nodded her head.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," she explained. "I like you, I really do... but I love him."

"I get it," Jake sighed. "Look Aria, I really like you, and I wanted to give us a chance. I wasn't expecting to be broken up with in like two weeks of dating you, but it's okay. Is the other guy that one you were telling me about? Ezra?"

She bit her lip, but nodded her head.

"I'm totally cool with it," he said, nodding his head. "You know I want you to stay with me, because I really like you, but it's all good. I could tell that you really cared for this Ezra guy. I knew it wasn't over. A love story can't end that easily. But, if it ever really doesn't work out with you guys, and if you still want to give us a chance, I'm always here. And just because we're not dating, doesn't mean I don't want to help you. I know how complicated your life is, so if you need a shoulder, I'm here for you." He smiled at her softly. "I should probably get going."

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him weakly, "for being so understanding. You made this really easy, and I don't feel like a horrible person. You're a really amazing guy, Jake, and you deserve a really amazing girl. One who is calm, patient, and deserves to love you. I don't deserve you, anyways."

"That's not true, Aria," he said. "You are an amazing human being. I would be lucky to still have you. Call me if you ever need me." He placed a friendly kiss on her cheek as he walked out of the Grille.

* * *

Spencer's phone started ringing, but it wasn't Toby. It was Hanna. She answered it, but she couldn't hear a thing her friend was saying inside of the mall, so she went outside.

"Hey Hanna, what's going on?" Spencer asked.

"Emily said she saw Alison," Hanna said, breathing heavily.

"And what happened?" Spencer asked curiously.

"I don't know," Hanna said. "All she said was that she saw her, and then Paige saw her. She told Paige that Alison is alive."

"What!?" Spencer cried. "I thought we swore not to tell anyone! I hate lying to the people we love, but we can't tell them a secret this huge. It will make it unsafe for them. Paige is in danger now, and if Emily really loves her, she needs to protect her."

"Spencer, I think telling our partners would be for the best, actually," Hanna said, biting her lip. "I want to tell Caleb. It avoids the whole secrets thing. You should tell Toby."

"I'm on a date with him right now," Spencer said, sighing. "Look Hanna, I'm at the public mall, I don't think we should be talking about this where people can hear. Why don't we continue this conversation tomorrow?"

"Okay fine, bye Spence," Hanna said, hanging up.

As Spencer hung up the phone, she saw some person stuffing a plastic bag into their jacket. The contents of the bag was some sort of powdery substance... it almost looked like crack, not that Spencer knew much about drugs. But she was curious. The person zipped up and jogged away, not realizing that Spencer had seen them. She didn't care to report the person, she followed where they seemed to have come from. Behind some building that wasn't part of the mall, but it was close.

She went behind the building, and that was where her life changed. A young man, about 20-something, was standing there. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was holding a cigarette in his right hand. He blew out a puff of smoke towards Spencer, and grinned at her.

"Hey sweet honey," he said, grinning his yellow teeth at her. "You wanna buy some shit, or what?"

"Um... maybe," she said, biting her lip. "Do you have a study drug?"

_What the hell am I doing?_ Spencer thought.

Before the bloodshot eyed guy could answer, the brunette's phone rang again. What did Hanna want now!? She groaned as she took it out of her purse. But it wasn't Hanna, it was Toby. She sighed as she answered it.

"Hey Spence, it's time to end that shopping trip," he said, chuckling. "There's an open table, you should come back now."

"Oh, okay. Let me just uh... look at this one thing in a store, and I'll be at the restaurant in a second," Spencer half lied. "Bye, Tobes."

"Alright, great. Love you."

"Love you, too."

She hung up and stuffed her phone back into her purse.

"Boyfriend?" the guy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I have to get to our date, so can we hurry this process up?" Spencer asked. "It's a short one, right?"

"No worries, sugar. I give you the stuff, you give me the cash, and you're out of here for your little boyfriend in no time," the guy said, laughing. "So you were talkin' study drug before your boy called, hmm? I'm packed with that stuff. It's popular with the teens. I got some Concerta, and some Foc—"

"Hey, I don't care what brand it's from, I just need some before my boyfriend gets all suspicious," she said. "Give me any kind."

"Alright, fine," he said, and pulled a bottle of pills out. "Price is here. Gimme the cash, and you can take these and jet off."

She pulled a bill from her purse, and handed it to the shady young man. He grinned, and tossed her the orange bottle of pills. She stuffed the bottle into her purse, said a "thanks", and jetted off to find Toby.

* * *

**A/N: I really enjoyed Spencer's plot here. Toby's gonna be so freaked out when he finds out. Hopefully Spence doesn't get into any legal trouble ;). Aria and Hanna had more of a minor role here. I was also really happy to write Emily's real reaction to Alison's return!**

**QUESTIONS:**

**.Emily/Paige or Emily/Alison?**

**.Aria/Ezra or Aria/Jake?**


	4. Chapter 4

Pretty Little Liars Season 4B

Chapter 4

* * *

Sitting at her house, Hanna sighed. She was all alone. Her friends were out. Aria had said that she was going to see Jake, although Hanna didn't understand, because she thought that Aria had gotten back together with Ezra. Emily was still with Paige, probably confessing all the secrets having to do with Alison. Spencer was out with Toby, leaving the poor blonde alone. She missed her Caleb. She missed touching him, laughing with him, kissing him... She missed everything about him. It felt like it had been years since the day she told him to temporarily help this girl named Miranda.

It was getting pretty late. She couldn't stop thinking about all the wrong things in her life: Alison being alive, Caleb being gone, Mona betraying her... She hated living a life where an anonymous person ruled her. She sniffled as she grabbed Alison's diary from her drawer. She needed to find a way to break into it. She was considering telling Spencer, since she would probably know what to do, but Hanna didn't want to. She wanted to solve it for herself.

The doorbell rang. She didn't bother to get up, until she realized that her mother wasn't home. Ashley was starting a new job for Jessica DiLaurentis, since the Rosewood Bank laid her mom off because of the whole scandal involving Detective Wilden.

She swung the door open, not expecting to care, but she cared when she saw who it was. _Caleb_.

She jumped like a little girl and hugged him tight, as if he had been gone for years or something. It felt like it had been ages since he left... Before he could say anything, she forced him into a kiss, but he didn't mind at all. He enjoyed the kiss while it lasted. Hanna looped her arms around his neck as she pulled back.

"Caleb, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed, smiling the widest smile ever.

"I had to see you," he said, running his hands through Hanna's blonde hair. He let out a happy laugh as he gazed into her eyes.

"So, you're coming back," she said, giggling happily. "I know you've only been gone a little while, but it feels like forever. I'm so happy you're back. Remind me not to ever send you to go anywhere again. I'll miss you too much. Miranda needed you, but I need you more."

When she saw the frown on his face, as well as hearing no response, she stepped up and asked, "What?"

"Hanna," he said in a disappointed voice. He broke their embrace, putting his arms at his sides now. "I'm not coming back... at least not right now. I'm just here to visit you. I wanted to see you before I got in too deep or something. I'm going back to Ravenswood."

"Caleb, you can't go back there," Hanna said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why are you going back there? I won't let you do it!"

"Please Hanna, just trust me," he said, and leaned in to peck her lips, but she pushed him back before he could do it. "What? You're still mad?"

"_Of course_," she said, rolling her eyes. "How can you just tell me to trust you? I want to know why. I sent you there in the first place. I wanted you to just sit down, help that girl, and come back. Why can't you come back?"

"You know I want to," he said, reaching out to cup her cheeks. "You know I love you more than anything, but I can't stay. I have to go fix things in Ravenswood... I have to fix things with Miranda. I need to back."

"So you're going there for an unknown amount of time?" Hanna argued, sighing as she pushed his hands off of her cheeks. "You're just going to go until your complicated little mess is sorted out. And for that time, I have to cope without seeing you. What does Miranda have that I don't? Caleb, why can't you be here for me instead of her?"

"There's a whole world of trouble down there," he said, sighing. "Please, don't be mad at me. I promise it's all for a good reason. I know you're the one who told me to go, but I made so many complicated promises, and I can tell you that Miranda hasn't been fully helped yet. We both need to help each other."

"That's a crappy excuse," the blonde said, her eyes glaring at him fiercely. "You're not going back."

"You can't control me like that!" he yelled. "I have to do what I have to do!"

She crossed her arms and said, "You're thinking about helping Miranda... what about helping me? How do you know that there's not something big going on in my life, too? I need you, too."

"Hanna Marin, you are a strong girl," Caleb said, looking her in the eyes. "You don't need me to protect you. I'll come back as soon as I feel that I've protected Miranda. Actually, this isn't just about her anymore. There's so much that's keeping me there, so don't even think about blaming her. I have things to fix, and you're going to have to understand that. I came back so I could spend some time with you before I go back to Ravenswood."

"Look, I don't care if you babble this crap any longer!" Hanna yelled. "You're leaving me with this pathetic goodbye."

"I'll take you out tonight," he said, sighing. "I want to spend time with you before I go. I don't want our goodbye to be like this."

"Neither do I, but I can't spend this time with you knowing that you're leaving me without telling me why," Hanna said, gritting her teeth. "So, until you can get your priorities straight, I'm saying goodbye."

"Don't do this, Hanna," Caleb said. "You don't have to say goodbye. I'm not leaving you for good."

"But it feels like you're leaving me for good," Hanna said, sniffling a little bit. "I don't know if you're going to come back tomorrow, or in twenty years! I can't handle a relationship like that. What happened to us? Things used to be so much easier."

"Things were never easy for us, but we always got through it, because... because there's love," Caleb said, reaching to take her hand. "I love you, Hanna. Nothing's ever been easy, and I can't let a long distance relationship stop us. I won't let you feel alone."

"My friends are always out with their boyfriends... and Emily with her girlfriend," Hanna said, sighing. "I don't want to be the only girl scooping tubs of ice cream every Friday night just for myself! I love you, but I want to be able to count on you, and I feel like I can't. So clearly, this isn't working. Goodbye, Caleb."

She opened the door from him. He sighed as he trudged out.

"Hanna, are you sure this is what you want?" Caleb asked.

She blinked twice to let the threatening tears fall. She knew she wasn't sure. She wanted to make their relationship work, and she didn't want to say goodbye. She closed the door before he could see her cry. It would have gotten ugly. He tried ringing the doorbell a few times, but she ignored it. Eventually, he realized that she was upset, and she wasn't planning on talking to him anymore that night. He hoped that something would change her mind, but he knew his girlfriend, and he knew that she was too stubborn for that. So he got into his car, and drove miles away... back to Ravenswood.

* * *

Aria stared blankly at her empty plate. It had been an hour since Jake left, but she was still sitting their at her table at the Apple Rose Grille. She honestly didn't know where she wanted to go at that moment. She knew it was best to just go home before any of the people at the Grille thought she was crazy for staring at an empty plate for hours. She cleaned off her table as she started to walk out of the Grille. As she walked out, she bumped into someone all too familiar. She smiled when she saw him, and his perfect ice blue eyes staring down at her. With the moonlight, it just felt so romantic.

"Aria," he said, stepping back a little so their bodies weren't touching anymore. "Funny seeing you here."

"Yeah, you, too," she said, smiling adorably. "Um, what are you doing here, Ezra?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he said, causing her to chuckle. "I was just coming from this men's clothing store nearby. I was looking for some new ties. You know men, we love our work ties." She smiled widely. "So Aria, what are you doing here?"

"I was actually here with Jake," she told him, biting her lip. She wanted to say it just for a reaction.

"Oh..." he mumbled, nodding his head. "Did the bad boyfriend leave you? Well, your prayers have been answered, because the good boyfriend is here to save the day. I can give you a ride home, if that's what you need."

"Actually, I drove here myself, so I'll take care of it," Aria said, trying not to giggle at Ezra's boyfriend comment. "By the way, Jake's not my boyfriend anymore. The reason I brought him here tonight was so I could make it clear that I have somebody else... somebody that I love." Her hazel eyes met his blue ones. "I broke up with Jake." He nodded his head.

"I am glad to hear that," Ezra said, smiling at her. "Do you know what this means?"

"I think I have an idea, but I would like you to clarify anyways," Aria said, smiling at him.

"I think you know, too," Ezra said, chuckling. "With Jake out of the picture... we can finally be together. I think this calls for a little celebration, huh?"

"Shh, keep your voice down," Aria whispered. "Of course it calls for celebration, but I don't think a public place is where we should be doing this. People are going to realize that I'm flirting with Mr. Fitz, my English teacher." She touched his arm gently.

"Right, so we should go somewhere more private, is what I'm thinking," Ezra said, smirking a little. "Allow me to take you somewhere private. I know you're worried about your car, but I'll drop you off tomorrow morning, and you can pick it up. So, are you in? Can I take you to a place where we can be alone and celebrate?" She nodded her head eagerly, happy to be back together with the man that she loved.

"Take me anywhere you want, Ezra," Aria said, feeling the urge to kiss him, but knowing that people might see. "I'm yours."

He smiled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and walked with her to his car.

* * *

Arriving at Ezra's apartment, the newly rekindled couple walked into the apartment, both quite happy. She hadn't been in this apartment in forever... it felt like she had dated Jake too long. She was much happier to be back together with Ezra. She knew she was lying to herself when she said she was happy with Jake, she was much happier with Ezra. Sure, Jake was charming, poised, and sweet, but their history wasn't as enchanting as hers with Ezra. There was an irreplaceable love for Ezra Fitz.

"Finally alone," Ezra said, sighing of relief as he fell back on the couch. "I've missed you... I've missed us. It feels good to be reunited with you, Aria. I don't have to worry about your other man anymore, because I'm your only man."

She laughed as she sat down next to him.

"It's been too long since I've been to your apartment," Aria told him. "Well, disregarding the time that I came here to thank you for getting Mike out of trouble."

"Oh, Mike's your brother, of course I was willing to help out," Ezra said. "After all, I love you." He cupped her cheeks as he gazed into her eyes. "Now that we're not in public, I can finally kiss you freely." He pressed his lips against hers. She smiled into their kiss. It felt so good. Their lips began to move faster against each other's. Unfortunately, the romantic moment was ruined by the constant buzzing of Ezra's cell phone. He pulled back, his eyes widening when he saw the caller ID. He hid the screen from Aria. "Babe, would you just ruin down to the kitchen and get something for us to eat? I have to take this call in the meantime."

"Sure, of course," Aria said, nodding her head. She pecked his lips, and smiled. "Don't take too long. I'll miss you too much."

He smiled. He waited for her to walk to the kitchen before answering the call.

"Hey," he said, sounding irritated as he spoke. "You can't call me right now, okay? I'm with Aria, and if she knows you're calling me, we're both dead. Got it? Back off, just for tonight. We can talk tomorrow. I'll call you as soon as she leaves. Goodbye."

* * *

Things were getting hot and heavy for Emily and Paige. Their lips were colliding against each other's mouths. They were rolling around the hotel bed, kissing like crazy. Ever since Emily got the Alison thing off her chest, she felt so honest, and she felt like she was free. Her hands stroked Paige's hair as she kissed her girlfriend harder. She felt so in love. She still hadn't told Paige about kissing Alison, but she didn't think that would really help the situation. Everything went speeding off when Emily reached for the hem of Paige's shirt, starting to pull it over.

"Whoa, whoa, Em, slow down," Paige said, breaking their lips apart. "Are you sure you want to-"

"I'm positive," Emily said, smiling as she gazed into Paige's brown eyes. "Telling you about everything made me feel so close to you... and I know that no matter what happens to us with the college situation, and no matters what happens to us because of the Alison situation, I'll always love you."

"I love you so much," Paige whispered, kissing Emily again. "What if your mom comes back to the hotel, though?"

"I'll take my chances," Emily whispered, causing Paige to chuckle. "Besides, she probably got sucked into a deep case at work. She won't be back for a while... which means that we can have some serious alone time." The dark haired girl winked flirtatiously as she leaned closer to kiss his girlfriend again. Before she could, her phone buzzed. Emily grabbed it to check it.

_Hey sweetie, I won't be coming home tonight. While I was leaving work, I saw my friend from college, and she and I are going to spend the night. I'll be at her house. Call me if you need anything. Love you, Emmy._

"Looks like we have more time than I thought," Emily whispered, kissing her neck seductively. "Since my mom is spending the night with a friend, I think you can stay the night here."

Clothes started coming off, and Emily and Paige had a very passionate and intimate night together. They had been touched like never before. Emily felt feelings that she never felt with Maya, and she knew that now. She loved Paige, and she always would.

...

Her blue eyes glanced through the crack of the hotel room's door. She was jealous. So jealous. She knew they just had sex. She hadn't seen the whole thing, but it was obvious. Even though she just arrived, she could tell, since they were both naked under a blanket. They were cuddling in bed, and it disgusted her. She hated it so much. Not because she was homophobic, but because she was jealous. _She wanted to be where Paige was_.

Underneath a blanket, naked with Emily. Maybe it was inappropriate to think that way, since she hadn't spoken with Emily much since her 'death', but she didn't care. She was in love with her, and she always had been. She wouldn't stand to see Paige McCullers having her.

After all, she was Alison DiLaurentis, and she always got what she wanted.

* * *

"Mmm, thank you for an amazing night," Spencer said, standing on her tip toes to give Toby a peck on the lips. He smiled, and held her waist. "You want to come inside? My parents aren't home..."

He didn't know if she was being suggestive, but he could feel it. He nodded his head as he followed her into her house. She slid her heels off, and he took his dress shoes off. He shut the door behind them, and took her hand. He had plans for the night now. He was thinking of so many things he could do with her. He licked his lips as he leaned closer so his lips touched hers. She giggled as she looped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. It felt so real. Every spark of lust in her was excited at the feeling of his kiss. He pushed her back slowly as they walked towards her couch. She fell back on it, with Toby on top of her, their lips still touching.

"You've been so busy lately," Toby whispered, dragging his lips down so he could kiss her neck. "I think we need some time alone."

She nodded her head as she ran a hand through his hair.

"I think we do, too," Spencer said, smiling at him.

Their lips met again. His hands ran down her body as he hovered on top of her on the couch. She was yanking at the collar of his shirt as she attempted to kiss him ever harder. Her other hand was running over the stubble on his chin.

"I've been so caught up in all the Alison drama that I've totally forgotten how good spending time with you is," Spencer whispered.

He chuckled as he rubbed her waist, his fingers curling underneath the material of her skirt, yet not even making it seem like he was going to pull it off. He just reconnected their lips and kept kissing her.

"Hold on," Spencer said, getting up from the couch, leaving a very disappointed Toby there. "I should go take this necklace off before you give it tongue..." He laughed. "But don't worry, I'll be back in a second."

"Don't be too long," Toby said, looking up at her eagerly. "I don't think I can wait for you for more than ten seconds without going crazy."

She chuckled, and placed a peck on his lips.

"Make it last while I'm gone," Spencer joked as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

He sat there, and thought about how in love with Spencer he was. The date, and now their very suggestive time together, was making him fall in love with her all over again. He missed seeing her so often, since she was always with her friends, trying to be a detective. He pitied her, though. She had to go through more than a normal teenager should. Breaking his train of thoughts came Spencer's ringing cell phone.

"Hey Spence, your phone's ringing!" Toby called.

"Can you get it for me?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, sure," Toby said, and reaches into her purse.

He answered the phone. It was a call from Aria.

"Hey Spencer, I took your advice, I went with what my heart wants," Aria said, taking a deep breath. "Today, I broke up with Jake. Ezra and I are finally back together, and I'm happy. He went to go pick up Chinese food, so I wanted to call and thank you. So, thank you so much for telling me to do what my hear—"

Toby couldn't listen any longer. It felt dirty. She wasn't intentionally trying to talk to him, she was trying to talk to Spencer.

"Aria, this isn't Spencer, it's Toby," he told her, chuckling quietly. "Spencer's upstairs, she's taking her necklace off. We actually just got back from our date."

"Oh, that's cute," Aria said, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry for blabbing... I... I didn't know it was you."

"It's fine," Toby said, laughing. "If anything, I'm really happy that you feel satisfied."

"I didn't expect you to say that," Aria said, laughing as well. "Well, I'm sure you have a night planned with Spencer, so I won't bother you guys any longer. Have fun, don't get too kinky. Don't do anything Hanna wouldn't!"

Toby felt a bit embarrassed, but he said, "Of course we won't. Good night, Aria."

He ended the call, and reached to put Spencer's phone back in her purse. But he stumbled upon some pills. He pulled them out of her purse, and studied the bottle.

"What did Aria want?" Spencer asked, coming down the stairs.

"She wanted to thank you," Toby mumbled, holding the bottle. "She followed her heart and broke up with Jake for Ezra... and you told her something that helped her pick, so I guess she owed you a thanks."

"Oh, well, good for her," Spencer said, smiling. She approached the couch, and kissed Toby. "So, are we going to pick up where we left off?"

He didn't kiss her back. He pushed her away.

"Spencer, what the hell is this?" Toby asked, handing her the pills.

Her face flushed with embarrassment.

She had been caught.


End file.
